The mayor of Safed, the capital of the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, Yossi Kakon, advised tourists not to come to the city this year, due to security tensions, on Wednesday.
“Safad will not look full of tourists this year like every year, and we do not recommend coming here,” Kakon said in statements to a local radio station broadcast by Israel’s Channel 7.
He pointed out that “the state of uncertainty that has accompanied us for several months reached a new peak last night,” adding, “We are preparing for a momentous event, and we have a large gap in the issue of fortification (from missiles and drones)…”
“The lack of immunization in educational institutions is less worrying, because it is clear that when a security incident starts, all students will be sent home,” he added.
Big losses
Last week, the Israel Hotel Association (a private association representing 450 hotels employing about 42,000 people) revealed that in the first half of 2024, approximately 969,000 overnight stays were recorded in hotels, an 81% decrease compared to the same period the previous year, noting that 10% of hotels are in real danger of closing, and many are on the verge of collapse, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Israel, especially the northern region, is witnessing a high security alert, following the army’s announcement of the assassination of Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukr (Hajj Mohsen) yesterday, Tuesday, in an air strike on a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, while Hezbollah said on Wednesday that Shukr’s fate is still unknown, indicating that he was in the building targeted by the Israeli army.
